Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

'Because you know how I'm always forgetting stuff, and you knew I was giving this report today. So you brought me your copy of Anne Frank in case I left mine at home. Which was nice of you, and I appreciate it. But you didn't know for sure that I'd forget the book.'

'But I did know,' Emily insisted. 'I saw it.'

Tracey backed her up. 'Emily's been getting better and better at making predictions, Jenna.'

Jenna looked at Emily. 'Hey, I'm not saying you don't have a gift. You just don't know how to use it very well.'

It was typical of Jenna to speak like that-frankly, without always thinking about other people's feelings. Emily tried not to take it personally, but she couldn't help it.

'So you think my gift is worthless.'

Tracey was much kinder. 'She didn't mean that, Emily. Okay, maybe you don't have much control over your gift right now, but you're definitely improving.' She glared at Jenna, demanding a confirmation.

'Yeah, I guess you're getting a little better, 'Jenna acknowledged.

It wasn't much of a compliment, and it didn't make Emily feel any happier. She was glad to hear Tracey change the subject.

'How are things at home?' she asked Jenna.

Jenna produced her usual nonchalant shrug, but she punctuated it with a grin and said, 'Not bad.' Given her resistance to sounding overly positive or optimistic, 'not bad' could easily mean 'excellent.' Emily remembered that Jenna had stayed with Tracey's family for two weeks while her mother was in the hospital, but her mother was home now, and Jenna was back there with her. Emily ventured a question.

'And your mother, she's.. ' she hesitated, unsure of how to put this delicately. Pretty much everyone knew that Jenna's mother had been in rehab. 'She's doing okay?'

Jenna rephrased this in her own blunt way. 'You mean, is she sober? Yeah, so far.'

'I bet she's going to make it this time,' Tracey declared.

'Maybe,' Jenna allowed. She shot a look at Emily. 'Don't you even think about making any predictions.'

'I have no intention of even trying,' Emily assured her. She knew Jenna didn't mean to insult her, but Emily couldn't help feeling a twinge of irritation. She got up before her feelings could show on her face. 'I'm going to get some water.'

Beside the water fountain was a row of trash cans where students emptied their trays. Emily saw Sarah Miller, another of her classmates, poking around the contents of one of them.

'What are you doing?' Emily asked her.

Sarah looked up. Her heart-shaped face was utterly woebegone.

'I lost my ring,' she wailed.

Emily winced. Being someone who often lost or misplaced things, she could totally empathize. 'Did you take it off?'

'I don't think so. I leave it on all the time, even when I wash my hands. It must have fallen off, but I don't know where or when. I just noticed that it wasn't on my finger.' She touched the ring finger on her right hand as she spoke. Emily stared at it. If she concentrated very hard, she might get a vision. Sometimes this worked, sometimes it didn't.

She was in luck-her vision began to blur and her eyes glazed over. An image began to emerge. . 'You'll find it.'

Since Sarah was in the gifted class, too, she knew about Emily's ability, but unlike Jenna, she actually had some respect for it. Her eyes lit up. 'Really? Where?'

'It's in your coat pocket.'

Sarah's brow furrowed. 'You know, that's possible. I wore a coat today, and I forgot my gloves so I kept my hands in the pockets. It could have come off there.'

Emily nodded. 'It was a pretty clear vision. It was in the bottom of a coat pocket.'

Sarah was getting excited. 'So I could find it now if I go and look.'

Emily hesitated. This was the weakest area of her gift-the question of 'when.' She might see an event, like Terri Boyd falling off the balance beam, but she might not be sure when it would happen. But in this particular case. .

'If that's where it fell off, it must be there now,' she said decisively.

Sarah looked at the clock on the wall. 'The coat's in my locker. If I hurry, I have time to look before class. Thanks, Emily!'

Emily beamed as she watched Sarah run out of the cafeteria. But her smile faded as she noticed the girls at a nearby table staring at her. She really had to learn to think before she spoke. Britney Teller and Sophie Greene were gaping at her, with open mouths and wide eyes. Amanda Beeson, Emily's gifted classmate, was with them, but her expression was very different. She was glaring at Emily, with 'urge to kill' written all over her face.

Britney spoke first. 'Emily, can you see things? Like a psychic?'

Emily didn't have to respond-Amanda took care of that for her.

'Yeah, sure, Emily's a gypsy fortuneteller,' she declared. 'Show us your crystal ball, Emily.' And just in case anyone didn't hear the sarcasm in her voice, she started giggling in an especially mean way, something she could do very well, in keeping with her reputation as one of Meadowbrook's top mean girls.

Immediately Britney and Sophie joined in, doing their best imitation of Amanda's laugh. Emily could feel her own face redden. She had about as much control of her complexion as she had over her predictions.

She made her way back to her own table, where Jenna and Tracey gazed at her sympathetically. Obviously they'd heard everything.

'In all fairness,' Tracey said, 'Amanda did the right thing, covering for you like that.'

'I know,' Emily replied glumly. 'But did she have to do it so loudly?'

'You can't really blame her,' Jenna said. ' We know she's not really that nasty, but she has to work at maintaining her reputation if she wants to keep her status with those kids she hangs out with.'

This was all true, but Emily was still feeling embarrassed. She looked forward to the gifted class, where Sarah's gratitude might cheer her up.

But when she entered room 209, she could see at a glance that Sarah wasn't any happier than she'd been when Emily first saw her in the cafeteria. Her disconsolate classmate had her elbows on her desk and her chin in her hands, and there was no ring on her finger.

She looked up as Emily approached. 'I checked all my pockets. It wasn't there.' Her tone wasn't accusing- Sarah was too nice for that-but Emily tried to defend herself.

'Maybe it's in the pocket of another coat,' she offered, but without much conviction.

Sarah shook her head. 'I haven't worn any other coat recently.'

'I'm sorry,' Emily said.

Sarah gave her a sad smile, as if to assure her she didn't blame Emily, but Emily felt guilty anyway. She took her seat and mentally checked her score for the day. She'd known that Jenna would forget her book (even though Jenna refused to consider it a prediction), so she gave herself a point for that. But Sarah's missing ring put her back at zero. What other premonitions had she had? There was her mother's hair, but she wouldn't know the answer to that one till she got home.

She'd predicted something else. . Of course! Carter Street. According to her vision, he shouldn't be in class today. It was almost time for the bell, and she surveyed the room. Martin, Jenna, and Amanda were in their seats … Charles rolled in, followed by Tracey, and at the last minute, Ken hurried into the room.

The bell went off. As it rang, Madame entered and closed the door. Emily felt a rush of satisfaction-Carter was missing!

Madame went to her desk and looked over the room. 'Where's Carter? Has anyone seen him?'

Nobody had. Madame's brow furrowed. 'I can't remember Carter ever missing a class.' She looked at a piece of paper on her desk. 'He's not on the approved absentee list.'

'Maybe he's cutting class,' Martin ventured.

Madame wouldn't even consider that, and Emily understood why. Carter was like a robot-he did what he was supposed to do and what he was told to do. Nothing more, nothing less. He didn't speak, his face showed no